Sanjiv Bhatt seeks access to state IB records again

Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Wednesday produced a fax message, which he claimed he had sent to certain officials on February 27, 2002 immediately after the meeting held by chief minister Narendra Modi at his residence. The message alerted police about an anticipated communal violence in the state soon after the Godhara train carnage.

Bhatt has annexed the fax message in a letter to the SC-appointed SIT, headed by Dr RK Raghavan, and state-appointed Nanavati Commission, reiterating his demand for access to the state IB records of 2002.

The fax message that Bhatt claimed to have sent to Ahmedabad police commissioner, state home department and CMO, read: “Pursuant to the meeting held by the chief minister, it has become clear that the state government wishes to go ahead with the decision of bringing dead bodies of Kar Sevaks to Ahmedabad by road under police escort.”

“The dead bodies will be brought to Sola Hospital in your jurisdiction before being taken out for cremation. Local cadres of BJP/Bajarang Dal are massively mobilised for enforcing the BJP/VHP supported bandh. Widespread retributory communal violence is anticipated in your jurisdiction. Request appropriate preventive action,” the message continued.

In his affidavit, filed before the SC in 2010, Bhatt claimed he was present in the meeting called by Modi after the carnage, in which 59 people died.

According to him, Modi asked the top police officials and others present in the meeting to allow “Hindus to vent out their anger against Muslims” in the wake of the attack on the train.

Bhatt was additional deputy commissioner, internal security, in the state IB, during the 2002 riots in which 1,200 people were killed. Seeking access of the past records of the state IB, he maintained that it would establish the dubious role played by the chief minister and others during the 2002 riots.